Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-05

| Hoar said that he intended to call tn
attention of the Senate to what seems tt
him very grave evil, one that threatened
In substance q revolutionary change in tn
constitution and the met hods of the Govern
ment. What, he asked, was the effect O.
the holding back of appropriation bills
| until the last seven or ten or fifteen days O
the session of Congress? The result wal
that unless the House and Senate bott
submitted to the dictation of some three
or four men who happened to be members
of the Committee ON Appropriations in tn.
House OF Representatives, on the majority
the great appropriation bills would fail anC
an extra session be necessary. 1t is per
fectly notorious, Mr.. President, that this
| body has passed bill after bill with sub
stantial unanimity, having no political
significance matured by able men on
| the other side OF this chamber. and having
| the endorsement OF their great authority
And yet, because three or four persons
clothed with authority of the House ol
Representatives, choose to oppose those
bills, they couldn't get consideration in
that body, although there is no manner OF
doubt that nine-tenths Of the members oil
the House would be in their favor il thev
were brought up. That is the -.,.l.
| things which, in the time of ''ess
would cause q revolution.
After referring to the action of the
Speaker OF the House, in refusing to recog.
nize q certain member because he-the
Speaker not approve of the measure
the member wished to move, Hoar said:
Henry Clay is supposed to have had a
pretty strong will. He would no more have
dared to assert such an authority when he
was Speaker of the House than he would
have ventured to cross the Niagara River
twenty rods above the Falls. Blaine,
under whom many of us served in another
place, is generally supposed to have a
pretty strong will, and a pretty strong
desire to have accomplished in the admin
lstraticn of the country things which he
thinks ought to be done. l served in the
House of Representatives with that accom-
plished gentleman for eight years, six Of
which he was Speaker, and the humblest
three-fourths or four-f1fths in that body,
was permitted to make his motion to sus-
pend a rule every Monday, and every day
within the last six days of adjournment.
They used to put us on record with
all sorts of contrivances and
all manners of ways by calling
the yeas and nays on questions which they
thought the Republicans would not like to
commit themselves. 1t is true that occa-
sionally when business pressed during the
last twenty-four or forty-e!ght hours OF the
session, speaker Blaine would exercise his
selection of persons to be recognized in &C.
cordance with what he believed the will and
desire OF the House, and that was all, but
who ever heard OF Blaine if a member de-
sired to be recognized to move the adoption
of measure that would pass unanimously
or nearly unanimously, if proposed, in
forming that member that the presiding Of
ticer h ad determined that it was not expe-
dent to have any measure OF that kind
proposed during that session of Congress-.
Mr.. President, this is a question which
goes clear down to the fundamental rocks
on which our constitutional structure is
erected. Iwould rather have the Emperor
of Russia or King of Bombay to rule over
me than to have, under pretense of consti-
tutional form, the right denied to my rep
resentative to utter the will of the Ameri-
can people when constitutionally expressed
by the voice Of the majority in each branch.
We have not thought it desirable, in the
public business, in the prevailing sentiment
Of the American people, to insist upon an
extra session of Congress-; but, wish fo1
one, to give notice that in my judgment
this is the last time that usurpation will
be submitted to.
Mr.. Beck-'I was called out of the cham
Der for while, and was only in time to
hear what seems to be a most remarkable
TRADE against the Speaker of the House OF
That gentleman needs
no defense at my hands, and l had sup
posed that in the Senate of the Unit ed
States, under the rules and proprieties OF
the occasion, comment upon the action OF
the Speaker would not be INDUCED in. l
have only this to say; that there is no man
in Massachusetts,, or outside Of Msssachu-
setts, who will attack either the integrity;
honesty or ability OF the Speaker OF the
present House with impunity in his pres
ence. There are fifteen partisans OF the
Senator from Massachusetts on the floor
in the other house, all of whom have a
right to make whatever attack they please,
and if they do they will receive response
befitting the attack"
Hoar-'I ask the Senator from Ken
lucky, whether he denies single assertion
of the fact that have made or whether he
does not agree with me in my opinion OF
this matter and whether he does not think
that it is an invasion of constitutional
power of the Senate and the House."
Beck-"I have no right to know on this
floor whether the statements made by the
Senator from Massachusetts are true or
not. If they are true and if they are in
vasions of the rights of the House of Rep
there are Representatives
there able to take care of themselves. The
speaker OF the House is also able to take
care OF himself against any one and allwho
see fit to attack him. Mr.. Blaine's name
has been brought up and contrasted with
the present speaker. There never has been
in that chair man OF more undoubted in
tegrity. man of greater fairness or OF
more ability than the present Speaker Of
that House and think it is not fair
Mr.. Harrls-N becoming.
Mr.. Betk-It is not fair. say. to attack
him behind his back, when no man dares to
attack him before his face. l ask the SEN
ator from Massachusetts to go over to the
House and get some of the able Republi-
cans on that floor to make this charge;
and guarantee that the Speaker will come
down from the chair and refute all ISLANDERS
which they dare to heap npen him. have
no idea that he has violated anv rule OF
that body, or any rule OF courtesy. or any
rule OF honor. or that he has done any act
sither reyolutionary:or wrong since BE has